JULIAN – The San Diego River begins its 52-mile journey to the Pacific a few miles northeast of Julian, on a ridge west of Volcan Mountain. Although the ridge rises out of a forest, this is not a majestic sight, even after this fall's rains.

Especially after this fall's rains.

Here, 3,500 feet above sea level, the soil is still charred from the fires of October 2003. With no vegetation for rain and snow to nourish, the runoff rolls downhill, taking too much of that same hill.

"The water is not held in the soil, so it doesn't recharge the aquifers," said Geoffrey Smith, an organizer for the San Diego River Park Foundation, a consortium dedicated to preserving the river. "It also carries off soil full of nutrients."

First comes the Tuaca, an Italian liqueur rich with vanilla and citrus. Carly Ward poured about an inch of the thick, golden liquid into a clear coffee mug then fetched a small, steaming kettle of apple cider.